F.A.Q.

In the city, mosquitoes, ants, cockroaches, and rodents are all common problems. Each thrive in the city because there is plenty of food, water, and shelter.

Most spiders around homes in Nassau County and Queens are harmless and even helpful, since they eat other pests. Common ones include house spiders, cellar spiders, wolf spiders, orb weavers, and grass spiders. Dangerous species are rare here: the brown recluse isn't established in the Northeast, and black widows are uncommon. 

A mosquito and tick protection program is a recurring service, not a one-time spray. Barrier treatments are applied every three weeks through the season, targeting both mosquito and tick resting areas.

Citronella candles only deter mosquitoes for a few feet. That’s not enough distance to protect a patio, let alone a yard.

Mosquitoes are sometimes attracted more to certain people. This is based on how much carbon dioxide they exhale, their skin chemistry, and blood type.

Professional barrier treatments applied on a recurring schedule are the most effective property-level approach. They work because they reduce the overall mosquito population in your yard, which directly lowers the chance of disease-carrying bites.

For effective year-round prevention of mosquitoes, the best approach is to combine seasonal barrier treatments with habitat management, which includes eliminating standing water and trimming back vegetation, and addressing drainage.

Mosquitoes need standing water to breed and shaded, humid spaces to rest during the day. The city provides plenty of both.

Yes, and it takes far less than most people expect. A bottle cap's worth of standing water is enough for some species to lay eggs and produce a new batch of biting adults in under two weeks.

Dump every source of standing water weekly, keep foliage trimmed, and start recurring barrier treatment in spring before the mosquitoes are bad.

Contrary to popular belief, ticks aren't limited to the woods. The dense suburban and city neighborhoods around Nassau County and Queens have plenty of the habitat they need, from park edges and greenways to landscaped yards and brushy lots.